Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

Adventures of Don Juan is the best Errol Flynn movie I've seen. One of the reasons for this is Viveca Lindfors, who holds her own with Flynn in a way that Olivia De Havilland never did. Lindfors is fabulous.

The swashbuckling is also so extra in Adventures of Don Juan. There is way more swordfighting than I've ever even seen in any movie, really. It's just chock-full of these sequences. It's great. 

I think, though, that the real appeal here is the costumes. They're breathtaking. Truly extraordinary. Flynn never wears pants the entire movie... just different colored tights and then gorgeously embroidered and decorated jerkins on top. And the dresses they put Lindfors in truly are jaw-dropping. Each one more gorgeous than the last. And there must be at least a dozen. And that's not all. Her hair is always covered in pearls or rubies. It's just the most fabulous thing. Marjorie Best and her team really outdid themselves.

Affair in Trinidad (1952)

Affair in Trinidad is a kind of reboot of Gilda six years later, with a similar location, a similar antagonistic relationship between Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth, and a similar sinister film noir plot. None of the magic is gone. This is the best way to reboot. Affair in Trinidad is sexy and fun and mysterious. I had a great time. Hayworth does two night club numbers – both of them are sensational.

And the gowns. They're by Jean-Louis and they're stunning. Of course, Hayworth is wearing them, so that doesn't do any harm at all, but Jean-Louis is doing superb work in the early 1950s. Affair in Trinidad also boasts an excellent performance by Juanita Moore! It's so good.